Noise ordinances › St. Petersburg, FL

St. Petersburg noise ordinance: quiet hours, limits and complaints

Last updated: October 5, 2026

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Quiet hours in St. Petersburg

There is no single quiet-hours clause; for radios, instruments, speakers and other sound devices the night band is 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., when Sec. 11-53 shortens the plainly audible distances: sound systems in a vehicle on a right-of-way (including parking areas in the right-of-way) or a motorboat moored or operating in City waters, 25 feet (50 feet from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.), and a vehicle without a working muffler, 100 feet (11-53(1)); parks, playgrounds, beaches and other publicly owned outdoor places and rights-of-way, 50 feet (by day 200 feet, or 5,000 feet for an event with a park or street closure permit) (11-53(2)); a building in a residential zoning district, 25 feet (500 feet by day), and a building in a nonresidential zoning district, 100 feet, with no daytime distance set for nonresidential buildings (11-53(3)); a privately owned outdoor place in a residential zoning district, 25 feet, and in a nonresidential zoning district, 100 feet, with daytime limits of 500 feet at a residential use, 1,000 feet at a nonresidential use where sound is not the principal use (e.g., a restaurant deck) and 3,000 feet where sound is the primary permitted use (e.g., a performance venue), the last two running until 12:00 midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and the days before a national holiday (11-53(4)); sidewalk café speakers, 50 feet (200 feet by day), and not plainly audible at all when the café is not open and operating (11-53(5)). For other sources, Sec. 11-54 uses 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (500 feet), 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. (200 feet) and 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (50 feet) where the receiving land use is in a residential zoning district, and 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (500 feet) and 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (200 feet) where it is in a nonresidential zoning district, with 11:00 p.m. read as 12:00 midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and the days before a national holiday. Other clocks: selling by shouting is banned 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. in residential zoning districts and at any time in a noise sensitive zone (11-53(7)); refuse and recycling collection is banned 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. in residential zoning districts and noise sensitive zones (11-53(9)); stationary nonemergency bells, chimes, sirens and whistles may not sound before 7:30 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m., for more than ten consecutive seconds (30 on the hour) or more than six times an hour, though the part of a chime that identifies the hour is exempt from this time limitation (11-53(10)); outdoor tests of fire, burglar and civil defense alarms and sirens may not occur before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. (11-53(11)), and emergency generator tests are exempt from the article only between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., no more than once a week (11-53(12)); power tools and lawn and garden tools are exempt from the article only 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays and national holidays (11-49(12)); and on construction sites within 1,000 feet of a lawful residential use, work may not start before 7:00 a.m. and must cease before 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, may not start before 9:00 a.m. and must cease before 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and nationally recognized holidays, and may not start before 11:00 a.m. and must cease by 5:00 p.m. on Sundays (Sec. 8-7(b)); permitted construction that complies with Sec. 8-7 is exempt from the noise article (11-49(16)).

Decibel limits — or rather, the lack of them

None. Article III contains no decibel figure, no dBA table and no meter procedure. Municode's ordinance disposition table describes Ord. No. 880-G (6-19-2008) as "applying a plainly audible standard for the regulation of noise" and "removing regulations based on decibel levels." A full-text search of the code on Municode finds "decibel" only in Sec. 21-55 (radio-controlled model aircraft flown over City-owned property may not have an engine exceeding 96 decibels at three meters) and the disposition table, and finds no "dBA". The standards are: the general ban on any "noise disturbance" or "loud and raucous noise" (11-51), where a noise disturbance includes sound that "annoys or disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities" and loud and raucous noise is judged against "a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities" (11-47); the plainly audible distances in 11-53 and 11-54 described under quiet hours, where plainly audible means sound heard by a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities with unaided hearing, words need not be discernible and low frequency reverberations are included (11-47); sound that disrupts the normal activities of a noise sensitive zone, which extends 300 feet from every hospital building, provided conspicuous signs are displayed (11-52); and pool, air conditioning or air-handling equipment not in good working condition that is plainly audible 100 feet or more away (11-53(13)). If a court holds any Sec. 11-54 distance unconstitutional or unenforceable, that distance becomes 50 feet farther (11-54).

What the ordinance actually says

Sec. 11-51: "It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any noise disturbance or any loud and raucous noise within the limits of the City."

Sec. 11-47: "Plainly audible means any sound produced by a source, which can be heard by any reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities using his or her unaided hearing faculties. Measurement standards shall be the auditory senses. Words or phrases need not be discernible and low frequency sound reverberations are included."

Sec. 11-53(3)b.: "Playing, using, operating or permitting to be played, used, or operated any radio, compact disc or tape player, musical instrument, drum, phonograph, sound amplifier or other machine or device that produces, reproduces or amplifies sound in any building in a residential zoning district so that the sound is plainly audible to any person at a distance of 25 feet or more from the building between 11:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following morning."

Sec. 11-54: "No person shall operate or cause to be operated a source of sound in a manner as to create a sound that is plainly audible to a person at the property boundary of a receiving land use and that violates the time or distance requirements set forth in the following table."

Sec. 11-50(b): "The first violation of any provision of this division shall result in a written warning. The second violation of any provision of this division within 365 days after a written warning is issued is punishable by a fine in the amount of $500.00."

Sec. 8-7(b)(1): "Construction activities shall not occur Monday through Friday prior to 7:00 a.m. and shall cease operations prior to 7:00 p.m."

Quoted verbatim from the official codified text (St. Petersburg City Code, Chapter 11 "Environmental Protection," Article III "Noise Pollution": Division 1 "Generally," Secs. 11-47 (definitions), 11-48 (scope), 11-49 (exemptions), 11-50 (penalty), 11-51 (noise disturbances prohibited), 11-52 (noise sensitive zones), 11-53 (loud and raucous noises enumerated), 11-54 (sound levels by receiving land use), 11-55 (tampering); Division 2 "Administration and Enforcement," Secs. 11-84 (waivers), 11-85 (special variances), 11-86 (decisions final), 11-87 (violation of conditions) (Ord. No. 2002-F, 9-27-1990; amended by Ord. Nos. 454-G and 455-G, 12-21-2000; 682-G, 9-16-2004; 756-G, 10-6-2005; 880-G, 6-19-2008; 1030-G, 9-22-2011; 73-H, 6-6-2013; 94-H, 11-25-2013; 173-H, 6-4-2015; 216-H, 3-3-2016; and 369-H, 5-16-2019); with Sec. 8-7 (construction days and hours, Ord. No. 907-G, 1-8-2009), Sec. 1-7 (general penalty), Secs. 9-62 to 9-64 (chronic nuisance property) and Appendix A (schedule of fines). Text read on Municode (the City's code host; "Codified through Ordinance No. 635-H, adopted May 14, 2026. (Supp. No. 55, Update 1)") on 2026-10-05.). Verified against the live code on 2026-10-05. Ordinances get amended — before acting on a specific provision, check the linked official code. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

How to file a noise complaint in St. Petersburg

Noise goes to the police. The City's "Who to Call" list (a 2017 PDF that stpete.org's Report a Code Violation page tells residents to consult before making a report) lists Noise under "St. Petersburg Police, 727-893-7780 (non-emergency)" and Barking Dogs under "Animal Services -Pinellas County 727-582-2600". The St. Petersburg Police Department site prints "Non-emergency 727-893-7780" and "Non-Emergency: (727) 893-7780", with 911 for emergencies. Other code violations can be reported to Codes Compliance online through SeeClickFix St. Pete (seeclickfix.com/st-petersburg) or at 727-893-7373; since July 1, 2021 Florida law requires a code complainant's full name and residential address, and the City says it cannot investigate anonymous complaints. The Police Department's 2025 Annual Report says its Legal Division reviews all city code noise violations that result in a written warning or a notice to appear on a weekly basis, and that by the end of 2025, 22 properties were issued written warnings and 6 were issued noise ordinance violations. Waivers (Sec. 11-84) and special variances for events (Sec. 11-85) are requested in writing from the POD, "the person officially designated by the Mayor to perform the duties described in that portion of the Code" (Sec. 1-2). Sources: https://www.stpete.org/residents/community/report_a_code_violation.php, https://www.stpete.org/Residents/codes/docs/whotocall.pdf, https://police.stpete.org/ and https://police.stpete.org/docs/annualReportDepartment2025.pdf.

Step by step, with what to log and what to expect after you file: how to file a noise complaint in St. Petersburg. For the general playbook — documenting the problem, talking to a landlord or HOA, when 311 beats 911 — see the noise complaints guide.

Worth knowing

(1) Distance, not decibels: since Ord. No. 880-G (2008) the City's noise law uses plainly audible distances, which run from 25 feet at night near homes to 5,000 feet by day in parks and rights-of-way for events with a park or street closure permit (meant mainly for outdoor concerts and other large gatherings), the code noting that sound "may travel greater distances over the water" (11-53(2)c.). (2) Venues get a later night: for privately owned outdoor places at a nonresidential use where sound is not the principal use (1,000 feet) and outdoor places where sound is the primary permitted use (3,000 feet), and in the Sec. 11-54 table, the daytime distance lasts until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and the days before a national holiday; homes get no such extension in 11-53. (3) Penalties (Sec. 11-50): the first violation of Division 1 brings a written warning; a second within 365 days after the warning is a $500 fine, and later violations within a year of a $500 fine are also $500 each; for a further violation within 365 days of two violations that resulted in $500 fines, the City may impose a 30-day suspension of an alcohol establishment's extended hours permit or a sidewalk café permit, or both, and after two $500 fines within 365 days it may also require a noise mitigation and monitoring plan under Sec. 16.50.310.3 within 90 days of the violation; separately, the City may seek an injunction to prevent future violations (11-50(e)); when the establishment belongs to a corporation or LLC registered in Florida, the warning, citations, suspension and injunction run against the entity and its registered agent is served by mail. Appendix A lists Secs. 11-51 to 11-54 at "500.00, after initial written warning"; Sec. 11-50(a) also points to the general penalty in Sec. 1-7 (a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both). (4) Chronic nuisance: a charge under the noise article is a "nuisance activity" (Sec. 9-62(a)(2)), restaurants and taprooms included for noise; when police have responded to three or more nuisance activities at a property within a 30-day period or five or more within a 90-day period the POD may notify the owner or other responsible party that the property is a nuisance and require a written action plan within 14 days (9-63); if the party does not respond, the plan is rejected or it is not fully carried out, the property is declared a chronic nuisance, the owner, business owner, tenant and manager may each be cited at $500 per violation, and the cost of later police responses may be charged against the property or referred for collection (9-64). (5) Exemptions (11-49): emergency warnings and work; aircraft and airport operations; motorboat engines, marina and port operations (but not amplified sound on motorboats); the unamplified human voice (a megaphone counts as amplification); railroads; vehicle warning devices required by State or federal law; lawful motor vehicle operation on a right-of-way except as 11-53 prohibits; lawful and proper activities on school grounds, playgrounds, parks (except as 11-53 specifically prohibits) or places primarily used for athletic contests; essential service vehicles; a temporary emergency waiver from the POD; power and lawn tools within their hours; impulsive sound such as fireworks displays, explosions and drop forge impacts; noncommercial unamplified public speaking and assembly on public property; unamplified sport on private property; and permitted construction that complies with Sec. 8-7. (6) Indoor music: sound escaping through normal use of doors is not a violation, but doors may not be propped or locked open if more sound escapes as a result; indoor speakers within 20 feet of a doorway onto a right-of-way must face away from it; and no speaker may sit in or over a right-of-way without an approved sidewalk café plan (11-53(3)). Music counts as outdoors unless the instrument or speakers are inside a structure fully enclosed by walls and a roof with all doors and windows closed (11-53(4)f.). (7) Property boundary includes the walls of a unit in a multifamily building and the hull or deck of a boat legally moored in a marina or at a private dock in a residential area (11-47). (8) Other enumerated acts: directing a bullhorn or airhorn at anyone within 25 feet (11-53(6)); animals or birds that frequently or for continued duration make sounds detrimental to a person of ordinary habits and sensitivities (11-53(8)); and no horn in a noise sensitive zone except in an emergency (11-52(b)). (9) Waivers for continuing activities such as construction last up to 180 days, require mailed or hand-delivered notice to occupants within 500 feet (nonresidential) or 1,000 feet (residential) with an objection deadline no sooner than seven days after delivery, and the POD's decision can be appealed by a written request to the City Clerk within seven days, for a hearing before City Council (11-84); special variances for a single event are to be sought in writing no later than five working days ahead (a shorter lead time is not by itself grounds for refusal), are granted or denied by the City Administrator on the POD's recommendation and last no more than 72 hours (11-85). (10) The construction hours in Sec. 8-7 apply only to sites within 1,000 feet of a lawful residential use, do not apply to work on a street or right-of-way or during a declared emergency, and the Building Official may approve different hours on a written request with a mitigation plan.

Document it before you report it

St. Petersburg enforces mostly by audibility, but a log of measured levels still makes a complaint concrete and credible. Take a quick reading with the free online decibel meter — it runs in your browser and records nothing — and check how loud your block is on the St. Petersburg noise map. For time-stamped measurement history you can show a landlord or code officer, the app keeps a log.